Two favorite teams in the "Final Four", only mathematics keeps Dinamo in the game

2026-04-20 20:20:00, Sport CNA

Two favorite teams in the "Final Four", only mathematics keeps Dinamo

After the end of week 32 in the Albanian championship, the panorama of the "Final Four" has begun to take shape, with two teams having mathematically secured participation in this phase.

Vllaznia and Elbasan are the teams that have booked their tickets for the mini-tournament that will determine the champion, while the race for the other two places continues.

According to the regulations of the event, the top four teams in the standings will enter the “Final 4” phase with the points accumulated during the regular season, but halved. This mechanism significantly changes the balance in the classification, bringing the differences between the teams closer.

In the current situation, Vllaznia leads with 30 points after the halving, while Elbasan follows with 29 points. Egnatia is positioned with 27 points, while Dinamo, which holds fourth place, would enter this phase with 22 points.

In this process, two teams are directly penalized by the way points are calculated. Elbasan, which currently has 59 points in the standings, will drop to 29, while Dinamo will go from 45 points to 22. This puts the capital team in a difficult position for the title race, as the gap with the top places remains considerable.

However, the “Final 4” format leaves all possibilities open in mathematical terms. Although Dinamo is seen as the least likely to fight for the title, a series of positive results in this mini-tournament could change the scenario, although it is considered a difficult possibility.

The schedule for this phase is set and will take place over three separate weeks. The first week starts on May 16 at the “Air Albania” stadium, with the match between Vllaznia and Dinamo at 19:00. The following day, on May 17, at the same time and stadium, the Elbasani-Egnatia match will be played.

The second week continues on May 23 with the Vllaznia-Egnatia challenge, while on May 24 Elbasan and Dinamo face off. In the third week, on May 29, the direct duel between Vllaznia and Elbasan takes place, while on May 31 the phase closes with the Egnatia-Dinamo match.

This format focuses everything on a few direct matches, where each point carries a large weight in the standings. The differences created during the season are reduced and each result can directly influence the determination of the champion team.